Anchoring a post in the ground typically involves the following steps. First, one must dig a deep narrow hole, insert the pole therein, partially fill the hole with concrete around the perimeter of the post, backfill the soil, and then add water. Following the setting of the concrete, installation of the fencing material may occur, unless the purpose is to install a bird house or a mail box in which case it is likely already attached to the post.
This method may be inexpensive but several disadvantages exist. Certain soil conditions may result in hole that is too large or make digging too difficult and strenuous. Digging equipment may be required. The application and mixing of concrete is also labor intensive, strenuous, and time consuming. If wooden, the buried portion of the post will degrade over time due to moisture exposure and the post strength will weaken potentially resulting in a break or crack of the wood.
Various attempts have been made to provide a structural device for convenient placement into the ground and post attachment. Devices to date involve insertion of structures within the ground that have large surface areas cooperating with one another to resist motion of the device. However, these devices generally lack acceptance in the industry because they are difficult or inconvenient to install and/or they lack sufficient structural resistance properties once installed to acceptably resist motion of the post above the ground. Furthermore, they may be expensive when compared to the conventional dig and concrete method. They also do not solve the problem of increased weakness in the post due to degradation from moisture exposure.
For these reasons there remains a need for a simple device for installation into the ground with minimal effort which is stable and provides for acceptable motion resistance, while not requiring any portion of the post to be underground.